Cellar-door.



J. F. SEIYLER & N. H. DUNKLE. GELLAR DOR.

APPLIGATIONHLBD JAN.25, 1911.

1,009,104, Patented Nov.21, 1911.

I l Mfg/@ .4A/y Inventor by y Attorneys UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFTQE.

JOHN E. SEYLER AND NEWTON H. DUNKLE, OF LOCK HAVEN, PENNSYLVANIA.

GELLAR-DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1911.

Application led January 25, 1911. Serial No. 604,665.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN F. SnYLnR and NEWTON H. DUNKLE, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Lock Haven, in the county of Clinton,State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Cellar-Door, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to vault covers in the class of paving, and moreparticularly it is a cellar door structure made entirely of metal; andthe object of the same is to construct such an article of as few piecesas possible and yet permit it to be made in sizes. p

To this end the invention consists in the structure of a door, itsframe, and its handle as hereinafter more fully described and claimedand as shown in the drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a sectional viewthrough the closed door, its frame, and the masonry or brick work whichsurrounds it. Fig. 2 is a section through the closed door and its frametaken at right. angles to the sectional line of Fig. 1. Fig. is aperspective view of the frame and the door open. Fig. 4 is a perspectivedetail which will be referred to hereinafter.

l In the drawings the letter H is employed to denote a hatchway orcellar opening surrounded by masonry or brick work here designated bythe letter B, and P designates a pavement or sidewalk or other elementsuperimposed above the earth E.

It is the object of the present invention to construct a double cellardoor and its frame in such manner that when the doors are closed theirupper faces and even the upper face of the handle will lie flush withthe up per face of the pavement P so that it will be impossible for thecasual pedestrian to stumble over any part of the door, its frame, orits handle.

Coming now more particularly to the present invention, the frame is bypreference made in three metallic members. One member forms one end ofthe frame as shown near the reader in Fig. 3, and comprises an uprightwall 5 preferably having a horizontal flange 6 at its lower edge, 7designates a lip inturned from its upper edge and extending throughoutmost of the length thereof, 8 designates ears rising from said upperedge at the ends of said lip, and 9 designates wings or extensions fromthe ends of the member bent at right angles to the wall 5 and whoseupper edges 10 stand flush with the upper face of the lip 7 in a planeabove which the ears 8 project as seen. It will be obvious that thismember can be employed whether the doors 'and the next two adjacent sidemembers are longer or shorter than as shown in Fig. 3, but when theframe is to be made wider in a direction at right angles to the pivotallines of said doors this member will have its wall 5, flange 6 and lip 7madeA longer. The frame includes two other members, a description of oneof which will suflice for both because they vcomplement each other asalso illustrated in this view. Each member comprises an upright wall 15preferably having a flange 16 along its lower edge and also perhaps anupright extension 160`at one end of said flange, 19 denotes a wingextending at right angles from one end of said wall 15, and 17 aninturned lip along the upper edge of this wing and whose upper face isflush with the upper face of the lip 7. The wing 19 corresponds ratherclosely with the wing 9 of the front member above described, eX- ceptthat the former is an extension of only the upper part of the wall 15aswill be clear, and the lip 17 corresponds somewhat with the lip 7 oft-he above described member eX- cept that the former is made only halfthe length of the lip 7 so that the lip 17 meetsl the companion lip 17at a point opposite the center of the wall 5. A strip 18 laps themeeting pointbetween the lips and is bolted or riveted as at 180 to thetwo wings 19 as best seen in Fig. 3. The upper edge 20 of the wall 15preferablyrrises to a line parallel with the upper edge of the ear 8 andforms a support for the doors when they are opened as shown in Fig. 3,and it might be here stated that said upper edge 20 stands above saidupper edge 10 a dis tance equal to the thickness of the doors for apurpose which will appear below.

It will be observed that by the use of two of the members justdescribed, which might be called the sides of the frame, and one of themembers previously `described which might be called the ends thereof, acomplete rectangular frame can be made up; and if it is to be longerthan shown, the walls 15 and flanges 16 must be longer, although thesame member 5 and the same length of the wings 19 and lips 17 can beused. If the frame is to be wider than described, the same side walls 15can be employed, but a longer end member 5 will be needed and it will benecessary to lengthen the wings 19 and lips 17. Hence it will be seenthat the frame can be changed in one dimension without altering two ofits sides, or it can be changed in the other dimension without alteringthe other two sides. It is also quite obvious that the Walls 5 and l5vcould be made higher or lower, and of course the flanges 6 and 16 couldbe widened or could in fact be omitted.

The doors mainly are duplicates of each other and a description of onewill suilice for both except as to their slight differences. Eachcomprises a rectangular sheet metal body 25 of a length to permit itsends to rest upon the lips and of a width of half that of the frame, andtrunnions 26 projecting from the inner corners of the door are pivotedin eyes through the ears 8 as shown. We prefer to form these trunnionsat the extremities of a strip 27 which is bolted or riveted at 28 alongthe outer edge of the body 25, although this construction is notnecessary. The trunnions 2G at one end of the doors are pivoted in theeyes through the ears 8 as stated above and at the other end of thedoors are pivoted in the wings 19 at the ends of the lips 17. One doorhas a lip 29 riveted as at 290 beneath its free edge and in a lowerplane so that the free edge of the opposite door may rest thereon, andthis lip must be shorter than the distance between the inner edges ofthe lips 7 and 17 so that it can stand between them when the door isclosed. The use of separate strips 27 to carry the trunnions 2G permitsthe removability of a door body 25 for replacement as when it becomescracked or warped, although ordinarily it may be possible to deflect theears 8 outward a trifle sufficiently to permit the trunnions 26 to beslipped out of them so that the entire door and its strip (if one beemployed) can be withdrawn for repair purposes.

The handle of this improved door can be very easily made. As seen inFig. 4, one door body 25 is given a cut-out 30, and the metal within itis deflected downward into a lip'37 standing in a plane immediatelybelow the lower surface of the body and projecting away from the freeedge 23 of said body. The handle has an L-shaped shank 31 loosely boltedas at 32 beneath the body 25, and the outer end of this shank passesupward through the opening 30 so that the hand-hold 33 may normally liewithin the cut-out by its own gravity as best seen in Fig. 2. When it isdesired to raise this door the operator inserts his finger in therounded end of the cut-out and lifts the handle until he can put hishand under its free edge, then by putting his hand beneath it he canraise this door, and afterward the other door. Thus it will be seen thatthe handle as a whole stands normally with its upper part flush with theentire upper face of both doors, and the latter stand with their upperfaces flush with the upper edges 20 of the side members l5 and the upperends of the ears 8, and as a result there is nothing rising above theplane of the pavement P upon which a careless pedestrian could stumble.When the doors are opened as shown in Fig. 3, they lie obliquely acrossthe upper edges 20 of the side members 15, or of course they could beconnected by the bar ordinarily used to hold them upright and preventpedestrians from falling into the hatchway. As above stated, all membersare preferably of metal, and by adjusting the sizes of parts the size ofthe entire door and its frame can be altered at will.

lVhat is claimed is:

l. In a cellar door, the combination of a frame constituting an end wallhaving an inturned lip along the upper edge and ears rising above itsupper edge at the ends of the said lip, the said ears having eyestherein, and side walls connected at one end with the end wall eachhaving a wing projecting from the other end thereof, the said wingshaving inturned lips; a pair of doors, strips secured beneath theirouter edges and having trunnions projecting from their extremities whichare pivoted at one end in the said eyes and at the other end in the saidwings at the ends of the said lip; a lip on the free edge of one dooradapted to pass beneath the free edge of t-he other door; and a handlein the latter door.

2. In a cellar door, the combination with a frame having upstanding earsnear its corners provided with eyes, and two doors having trunnionspivoted in said eyes and adapted to stand with their upper faces in asingle plane when they are closed, one door having a cut-out near itsfree edge and the material within said cut-out being bent downward andaway from said edge into a lip; of a handle comprising an L-shaped shankloosely bolted beneath this door and extending upward through saidcut-out, and a hand piece at the extremity of said shank of a shape tolie upon said lip by its gravity and with its upper face flush with theupper face of the door.

Y In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have heretoaflixed our signatures in the presence of witnesses.

JOHN F. SEYLER. NEWTON H. DUNKLE.

Witnesses:

I-I. M. OOUNSIL, VIOLA M. RATHGEBER, JAMES NOBLE.

Copies 0f this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

